On the Town
by No Sweeter Song
Summary: OOTPEra RemusTonks.  A spunky and funloving Tonks drags Remus out for a night of drinks and conversation, despite his carefully thought out reservations.


OOTP-era Remus and Tonks. A bit of a different spin on Tonks for me, but no less spunky and exciting. She drags our dear Remus out for a night of fun that he's not usually prepared for. As she gets him to settle down, they both get a glimpse at the inner workings of the other. Just a short little ficlet, originally written for LJ's RT Challenge.

Not mine. You know that. If they were, I'd go take a bath in my own money.

* * *

"Care to join me?" Tonks offered, shrugging into her coat. 

Remus gave her a slightly surprised look, pulling on his own coat, much more worn and frayed then hers. "Join you?" he questioned as he began undoing the locks to the front door at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Not looking at all put off, Tonks grinned. "Yes, join me. I'm headed to the Three Broomsticks."

"By yourself?" Remus' eyes widened. He wasn't exactly the type to go out anywhere alone. The idea of sitting in a bar by himself hoping someone would strike up a conversation with him didn't appeal to him much.

An exasperated Tonks rolled her eyes. "Well I won't be by myself if you join me, will I?" Remus' mouth dropped open, and she smirked at her own small victory. "Just drinks, Remus, s'all I'm asking."

It would've been so simple to say no. To flash her an apologetic smile, slip out the door, and Apparate a few yards away. She'd probably have forgotten the entire exchange by the next Order meeting. She'd find a good-looking, young bloke to spend her time with that evening and forget she'd ever even proposed that Remus come along.

And yet somehow, Remus found himself in the smoky pub. He hadn't set foot in the Three Broomsticks at night in ages, preferring a quick stop for some of Rosmerta's mulled mead and cottage pie during the daylight. It was easier that way. Fewer suspicious eyes. At night, anyone who knew who--or rather _what_ he was, looked at him as if he would attack at any moment. It didn't matter how far from a full moon they were.

The atmosphere was different at night. Quieter, without the bustle of families and casual lunching friends. The clientele was older, more shoddy in many ways. And yet somehow, Nymphadora Tonks seemed to fit right in.

She greeted the barkeep cheerfully, wiggled her fingers at Rosmerta in a friendly wave, and flashed a smile at the many patrons who nodded to her or raised their glass. A few of them eyed him, and he could almost hear them questioning Tonks' choice in drinking partners.

"Right then," Tonks said airily, dropping into a booth near the bar. "Firewhiskey, Rosmerta. Remus?"

For a moment, he only stammered. Somehow this seemed the wrong group to be downing mead or wine, or even a strong ale. "Um, make it two," he finally mumbled, averting his eyes from the amused grin of the curvacious Rosmerta.

"Two it is," Rosmerta replied with a slight smirk, her eyes meeting Tonks'. If Remus wasn't mistaken, she actually winked. He blushed furiously, but Tonks only grinned. "And a plate of chips, if you have them, Rosmerta. I'm starved."

There was no missing the skeptical eyes of those around them. "So..." Remus began, then cleared his throat. "Here a lot? You seem...well-known."

Tonks' laugh was clear. She didn't even try to conceal it. "Oi, Remus, you make it sound like I'm some sort of drunkard or tart or something. I went to school with most of this lot, and the others I know from Auror academy or the Ministry."

It made sense. He was overreacting. Laughing a bit nervously, he sipped at the drink Madam Rosmerta had just placed in front of him. It was the kind that left a burning sensation as it traveled down his throat and into the depths of his stomach, and he had to force himself not to wince at the taste. As he finished his first two swallows, he looked up to find Tonks looking back at him. She seemed to be studying him almost.

"You're uncomfortable," she said quietly, picking up her glass but not actually taking a drink.

Remus shifted slightly in his seat, looking away from the quite enticing view of her face. "No," he protested, though he knew the shake of his voice would tip her off.

To his surprise, a smile crossed her lips. It wasn't overly bright, or even all that enthused. But it was, indeed, a smile. "Don't be," Tonks remarked, shrugging her shoulders. "You're not, by any means, the only one in this pub with something to hide. This is where you come for that." She took a long drink, then pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her robes. "Got a light?"

Smirking a bit in spite of himself, Remus pulled out his wand and muttered a charm. He tapped the end of his wand to the cigarette in her hand and sighed. "Tell me you don't go around using muggle lighters?"

Eyes bright, Tonks shook her head. "Hardly. Just wanted to see what you'd do. Came off as kind of a pickup line, didn't it? A bit like your take on, 'Come here often?', don't you think?"

Remus instantly went red. "I didn't... I hadn't planned on it... That wasn't my..." Forming a complete sentence was not on his agenda.

Tonks merely laughed again. "Remus, love, learn to take a joke, would you?" After a long drag, she released the breath with an overdramatic puff. "You've got to lighten up, Lupin, if you're going to keep being seen with me."

"And am I?" he questioned, an amused but skeptical expression on his face.

She seemed to be looking him over, and finally she raised her eyes to his with a smile. "Yeah," she told him carelessly. "I think you are."


End file.
